Weekly Events Calendar, September 26-October 2, 2022

Each week, Oklahoma Today staffers comb through their calendars to find a handful of great events happening across the state. Get out! See Oklahoma! And be sure to let us know what you find, either here or on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @oklahomatoday.

Dip your cookies in the Milky Way at the Okie-Tex Star Party in Kenton. Photo by Mike Dennis

City living is many things, but an astronomer's friend it isn't. Too much ambient light in the atmosphere makes it impossible to view some of the dimmer celestial bodies in the sky. But local star chasers know to head to Kenton each year for the Okie-Tex Star Party. You'll never be so happy to be miles from civilization when the Milky Way stains part of the sky. September 23-October 1. Registration, $100-$150. okie-tex.com

Celebrate the complicated legacy of Oklahoma's most famous female outlaw during Belle Starr Day in Porum. Angel or devil, the stories vary wildly from biographer to biographer, but she definitely made her mark on pop culture. Enjoy turtle races, an outlaw lookalike contest, a parade, and much more at this family friendly day trip event. October 1. Admission, free. facebook.com/bellestarrdayporum

Celebrate the Queen of the Outlaws during Belle Starr Day in Porum. Here's Belle in Fort Smith, Arkansas in 1886.

If anybody knows about boats, it's got to be the folks in Venice, Italy, right? That's likely why the Venetian word for contest is the same word we use to describe boat races. Whatever language you're speaking, there's fun on the water at Oklahoma Regatta Festival on the Oklahoma River in OKC. Enjoy a splash of competition when corporate rowing league teams compete for glory or catch the wild ride during the Whitewater Rafting League championships. Whatever you choose, be sure to stay late Friday and Saturday nights for the fireworks shows. September 30-October 2. Admission, free. riversportokc.org

Winter has Santa Claus and the elves. Spring has the Easter Bunny. But in the Sooner State, come autumn, it's time for Bigfoot. At the annual Honobia Bigfoot Festival & Conference skeptics, believers, and anybody else with passing interest in cryptozoology will gather to learn, debate, and party in southeast Oklahoma. There's live entertainment, food and craft vendors, and conference speakers sharing their insights on a creature that may or may not exist. September 30-October 1. Admission, free. honobiabigfoot.com

Ramona Horsechief is the six-time winner of the National Indian Taco Championship, happening this week in Pawhuska. Photo by John Jernigan

Come fry away in Pawhuska for the annual National Indian Taco Championship. This delicacy is a fair favorite, piling seasoned beef and beans on a hot piece of frybread with plenty of lettuce, tomato, and fixings, but these go beyond the everyday Indian tacos as chefs vie for the title of champion. October 1. Indian taco prices vary by booth. pawhuska.wpengine.com/event/national-indian-taco-championship

Written By

Greg Elwell

Greg Elwell served as research editor and web editor of Oklahoma Today from 2018-2023. He also has worked for newspapers, medical research organizations, and government institutions.